Ethiopians Dominate 18th Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon

Feyera Gemeda of Ethiopia won the  18th Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon Men's Overall Champion title, while in the Women's Marathon, Rogele Rehima Kedir of Ethiopia overcame two-time defending champion Demise Misker Mekonen to win the Overall Champion title.

Great expectation surrounded the Marathon Challenge as the runners assembled in the early morning on Sunday. Mr Tsang Tak-sing, Secretary for Home Affairs, officiated at the gun-firing ceremony, which set thousands of runners on their way in the 42.195km race.

The Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon 2014 maintained its status this year as a Silver Label Road Race, as awarded by the International Association of Athletics Federations, and a total of 73,000 runners started the race after months of training, cheered on by family, friends and the general public.

In the Men's Marathon, runners engaged in a thrilling tactical battle, constantly changing places over the course of two hours. The decisive break was made at the Western Harbour tunnel, some 35 kilometres into the race, after which five runners broke away and raced strongly for the finish. After a tussle over the final two kilometres, Ethiopian Feyera Gemeda running for the first time in Hong Kong -- crossed the line first, in a time of 2:15:05. He won US$65,000 worth of prize money. At race end he said, "The last time I raced was in October, and I've been training hard since. The weather was perfect, and I'm very happy to have won here today in Hong Kong."

Two-time Women's Champion Demise Misker Mekonen was looking to make it a hat-trick of victories but faced tough competition from her compatriots, who made it an Ethiopian one-two-three in the Women's Marathon. A strong sprint finish by Rogele Rehima Kedir saw a new Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon Women's Champion crowned, in a time of 2:34:53. The new champion said, "This is my first time in Hong Kong. I felt very competitive running in the big group along with the previous winner. I am happy to have been able to run and win here."

Wang Kun of China won the Men's Half Marathon race in a time of 1:09:06, while the winner of the Women's Half Marathon race was Jane Richards of Australia, in a time of 1:26:05.

Mackevicius Clinton of Australia completed the 10km race in the Men's Overall Challenge, in a time of 00:32:22, ahead of Hong Kong runners Lo Ching Hin and Mak Yun Leung. In the Women's 10km race, Yiu Kit Ching finished ahead of Fan Ka King and Siu Wai Yue to win in a time of 00:36:14.

Mr Kwan Kee, Chairman of Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association, said, "I am delighted by the fact that this year's race attracted more than 50 elite overseas runners. The number of both elite and gold label runners increased this year. I would like to thank the runners for their efforts, and all the volunteers for their generous support."

See also: Pictures of the Hong Kong Marathon 2013 - Page 1 of 8